| Central Alaska has lots of attractions: |
Fairbanks, with roots back
to the gold rush, is the hub of the Interior and is accessible
by road, air and riverboat. The rambunctious gold rush era,
which gave Fairbanks its lasting
image, was revisited in the 1970s with construction of the
trans-Alaska oil pipeline. The city was again packed with
thousands of job seekers.
A sternwheeler plies the Chena River, gold waits to be panned,
and Santa Claus is ready to greet kids at nearby North
Pole. On a clear day, there's a great view of Mt. McKinley,
about 120 miles to the south, and in winter, the northern
lights are spectacular. |
Denali
National Park and Preserve
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| Called Alaska's most impressive feature, Mount McKinley
is North America's highest peak at 20,320 feet. The surrounding
six million acre national park is called by its original
Athabascan Indian name, Denali, meaning "The High One."
While in the Park, experience activities such as flightseeing,
rafting, kayaking, hiking and guided park tours. Shopping
and restaurants are available from Healy to Cantwell.
Visitors to the park often spot brown bears, moose, caribou,
Dall sheep, wolves, and other wildlife. Many opportunities
exist for photographing the wildlife and this awe-inspiring
mountain which towers above the Alaska Mountain Range.
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| Official
Denali National Park and Preserve Website |
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| Denali State Park has superb vantage points for viewing
the breathtaking heart of the Alaska Range. Perhaps the best
roadside view anywhere of the Alaska Range is at mile 135.2
Parks Highway. An interpretive bulletin board at this site
names the mountains and other terrain features. Other excellent
views of Mt. McKinley along the highway are at miles 147.1,
158.1, and 162.3. Day hikers on Kesugi Ridge or backpackers
in the Peters Hills in the western end of the park have an
unencumbered view of Denali that is almost overwhelming in
grandeur. |
| Official
Denali State Park Website |
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Yukon-Charley
Rivers National Preserve
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| In the deep Interior of Alaska, the great Yukon River strikes
through bluffs and mountains of an ancient landscape to unmask
rocks whose histories reach back a billion years to life's
beginnings on Earth. This impressive river enters Alaska
from Canada through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve
before making its way westward across the State and flowing
out to the Bering Sea. Here the river bed follows a great
geologic fault, and the flows are swift. A heavy silt load
causes channel braiding in large sections of the river. Side-streams
tumble from the hinterlands; chief among these are the Charley,
the Kandik, and the Nation. The preserve includes all 106
river miles of the Charley River and its entire 1.1 million-acre
watershed.
The 2.5 million-acre Yukon-Charley National Preserve
persists as a haven largely untouched by glaciation and
mostly free of human imprint. Truly isolated, the preserve
is wilder and less populated now than it was 50 or 80
years ago, following the Klondike and Nome gold rushes.
Here are prime breeding grounds of the endangered peregrine
falcon, calving grounds of the Fortymile caribou herd,
choice paleontological sites, superb recreational waters,
and the timeless presence of the mighty Yukon River.
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| Official
Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve Website |
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| Tetlin is a showcase of geologic and ecological features
found throughout Interior Alaska. Here in a broad valley
the Chisana and Nabesna rivers join near the center of the
refuge to form the Tanana. Nearly everywhere the work of
wildfires, permafrost, and fluctuating river channels have
created a diversity of habitats. For example, the extensive
stands of birch, aspen, and willow are testimony to the positive
effects of wildfire. In these woodlands, moose, black bear,
grizzly bear, ptarmigan, grouse, wolf, coyote, and red fox
find food and shelter. Thousands of refuge lakes and ponds
are interspersed with rolling hills, boreal forests, and
snowcapped mountains.
The Tetlin Refuge supports a high density of nesting
waterfowl on its extensive wetlands. The shallow marshes
of the refuge thaw early, providing a needed rest stop
for birds migrating to their nesting grounds throughout
the state. The refuge provides habitat for 114 nesting
species of birds and 68 migrant species. Sandhill cranes
move through the refuge each fall and spring in a spectacular
event. Other notable birds include arctic and common
loon, osprey, bald eagle, trumpeter swan, and three species
of ptarmigan.
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| Official
Tetlin Wildlife Refuge Website |
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